Vehicle-axle



(No Model.)

J. T. MILLER.

VEHICLE AXLE.

No. 408,839. Patented Aug. v18, 1889'.

N. PETERS. Pho L7- hognpher, Withinglon. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES T. MILLER, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

VEHICLE-AXLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,839, dated-August13, 1889.

Application filed May 19, 1888. fierial No. 274,852. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES T. MILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Axles; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to various new and useful improvements in axles,preferably for vehicles; and the objects of my invention are to provideand produce an axle possessing great strength and durability, one inwhich the bearing-surfaces of the spindle,wh en worn, may be replacedeconomically and quickly; one in which any depression of the spindlesmay be effectively compensated, and one bearing close resemblance to thecommercial steelspindled wooden axle, but being much more advantageousthan such ordinary article, in being more easily, cheaply, an d readilymanufactured; and my invention accordingly consists of the main portionof the axle and its spindles, made of asingle piece of plate metalturned or bent into the proper shape, as well as in other details ofconstruction, as will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed,and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein thevarious parts of the axle are designated by identical letters ofreference, and in which- Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, ofa bottom view of the axle; Fig. 2, an elevation, partly in section, of aside view of the same; Fig. 3, an elevation of an axle to be usedexpressly for light vehicles-such as buggies, &c.and Fig. 4, an enlargedbottom elevation, partly in section, of a portion of the axle,illustrating the means by which any depression of the spindles may becompensated.

A represents the main portion of the axle, made of a plate of somestrong metalsteel, for example-and preferably channel-shaped incross-section, and B B represent the conical spindles made integraltherewith. These parts can be conveniently made by means of a machineinvented and now being perfected by me, and which will be the subject ofa future application or applications for Letters Patent, or in lieu ofsuch machine these parts may be made in any other suitable manner.

Each spindle B B is made perfectly round in cross-section, and the jointa of the meeting edges occurs at the bottom of each spindle. At thejoint a, and on each side thereof, for such a distance on which anydirect wear occurs, the metal of the spindle is stamped in, as at Z),forming thereby arectangular groove 1), extending from a point adjacentto the swell c-to the shoulder d of the screw-threaded portion 6,likewise formed by stamping, or by any other suitable method. At a pointnear the forward portion of this rectangular groove 1) a lip f ispounced and forced down inside of the spindle. Into the groove 1) acorrespondingly-shaped piece g of very hard, preferably anti-friction,metal is inserted, being provided with a lip h, adapted to be insertedinto the opening formed by the lip f and engage with the under side ofthe wall of the spindle adjacent to said opening. It will now be seenthat the front portion of the bearingstrip 9 is held very securelyinposition. The rear portion of this strip is held in position by means ofa ring '6, placed over the smaller or outside end of the spindle, andforced up along said spindle until it encounters the before-mentionedswell c, by which its progress will be checked. As the swell 0 occursjust at the rear of the groove 1), as was before mentioned, the movementof the ring 2' will be arrested at that point, so that the ring willrest directly over the end of the bearing-piece, and thereby willprevent the same from becoming detached. This ring 1?, it will beapparent, will also prevent the hub of the wheel, when in position onthe spindle, from becoming engaged with the swell c and sticking.

The method just described of fastening the bearing-piece g in positionis by no means the only way by which the desired end may beaccomplished, for instead of this arrangement the bearing-piece might beretainedin proper position by rivets or screws or the like.

' lVhen the strip g has become worn and it is desired to replace thesame with a new one, the ring t' is forced over the spindle and thestrip, being held merely by the lip, removed, and the substitute stripsecured in place by a reverse operation.

Inside of the main portion A of the axle a eorrespondingly-shaped coreof wood j, or other suitable material, is inserted, or instead of thiscore small blocks of wood may be used, so that under heavy strains thefree sides of the axle will be prevented from being forced together, andin order that the ends of this core j will not be compressed under suchstrain a small metal block 7.: is socurely fastened on each of suchends, or instead of these blocks the arrangement illus trated in Fig. 4:might be substituted. It will be seen from an inspection of this viewthat instead of the blocks 7; 7.1, I make use of a casting I, havingears or on, each provided with an internally-sorew-threaded openingtherein for the reception of the adj ustin gscrews n 12, adapted to bescrewed out against the side walls of the axle A.

Now, if by any accident the spindle should be bent upwardly by anyweight or by any other cause, this deviation may be readily andeit'eetively compensated by screwing the adjustingscrews n ntoward andthereby forcing the side walls of the main portion of the axleoutwardly, and as the upper portions of these side walls are not atliberty to move, being connected firmly together by the rigid top, theoutward movement of the lower portion of the side walls will tend tobend the metal downwardly at the top, and thereby depress the spindle.

in Fig. 2 I have shown an axle to be used expressly for heavy work,having the sides of themain portion A widest at the center, as at a; .1thereby insuring great strength at the point most needed,and having thetop of the spindles and axles made substantially horizontal and on aline, thereby offering a flat surface for the attachment of springs, &c.

In Fig. 3 is illustrated an axle made particularly for buggies or otherlight vehicles, having both its top and bottom curving slightly upward,thereby obtaining an axle possessing less strength than the oneillustrated in Fig. 2, but closely imitating the axles now in use.

Instead of making the axle channeLshaped it might appropriately andconveniently be made U or V shaped; butI regard the former as beingpreferable in presenting perfectly straight and liat surfaces to theaction of the rivets or screws for fastening into position the braces,&c.

Instead of making the screw-threaded end 6 (which, it will of course be1u1derstood,is for the reception of a nut to prevent the wheel workingfree) integral. with the spindle, such screw -threaded end might be aseparate block inserted and welded or fastened in any other convenientmanner inside of the spindles; but this latter course is notparticularly advantageous, and should only be resorted to when the platefrom which the axle is formed is too thin to permitits beingscrewthreaded.

It will be understood thatI do not wish to be limited to any particularform of axle. Neither do I wish to be limited to an axle using abearing-piece, as I have described, although by making use of suchbearing-piece the axle is rendered much more advantageous. Neither is itabsolutely necessary to place within the axle A a wooden core or piecesof wood or iron, as described. Neither is it absolutely necessary to usemy improved axle solely with vehicles, as the same might serveadvantageously in many other capacities.

lliaving now described my invention, what I claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As a new article of manufacture, an axle made of a single plate ofregular thickness formed into a main channel-shaped portion A, with theintegral conical spindle portions 1315' at each end thereof, and ascrew-threaded cylindrical portion at each of said spindle portions, forthe purpose set forth, substantially as described.

2. As a new article of manufacture, an axle provided with conical hollowspindles, a removable bearing g in each spindle, and a retaining-ring 2'over each bearing portion, for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination of the axle A, integral spindles at each end thereof,the core j or blocks inside of said axle, and metallichardened blocks ateach end of the core j, for the purpose set forth, substantially asdescribed.

4. The combination of the axle A, spindles 13 I3, made integraltherewith, the core j or blocks within said axle, block lat each end ofsaid core, ears mm on said block, and adj usting-screws n 01, passingthrough such ears,for the purpose set forth, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the axle A, integral spindles I 1% at each endthereof and provided with lips f f, the bearing-piece {1, provided witha similar lip 71 and the ring 71, all combined and arrangedsubstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signatine in. presence of two witnesses.

JAMES 'l. MILLER.

Vitnesscs:

JNo. T. Minions, CHARLES F. BAKER.

ICO

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